IDF Reports Loss of 10 More Soldiers in Gaza Conflict
In the last two days, combat operations by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) in the Gaza Strip have resulted in significant losses, highlighting the challenges faced when confronting nonconventional militant groups like Hamas in densely populated urban areas.
Late Wednesday evening, the Israeli military announced that 10 soldiers lost their lives in northern Gaza on Tuesday, marking the highest single-day casualty count since the ground invasion of Gaza began.
The fatalities occurred during a Hamas-orchestrated ambush while the IDF conducted search operations in the fortified Shajaya neighborhood in Gaza City. Among the nine IDF personnel killed were two senior commanders and multiple officers.
Colonel Itzhak Ben Basat, leader of the Golani Brigade’s chief forward command team, was one of the senior commanders killed on Tuesday. He holds the distinction of being the highest-ranking officer to have lost their life since Israeli troops entered Gaza in late October. The troops involved in the ambush belonged to the Golani Brigade’s 51st Battalion, the Golani Brigade’s 13th Battalion, and the Israeli Air Force’s Unit 669.
In a separate incident in northern Gaza, 19-year-old Oriya Yaakov from the Combat Engineering Corps’ 614th Battalion also lost their life.
Hamas’ resistance against IDF forces in northern Gaza, particularly in the Shajaya and Jabaliya neighborhoods, has persisted longer than anticipated by many observers. Major General Gadi Shamni, a retired Israeli military commander with experience overseeing combat operations in Gaza during the early 2000s, highlighted that the densely packed buildings of the Shajaya neighborhood create extraordinarily dangerous conditions for any counterinsurgency force.
Additionally reported on Wednesday was the death of Master Sergeant Elisha Levinshtern, a reserve soldier from the Armored Corps’ 8104th Battalion. Levinshtern fell during combat with Hamas fighters in southern Gaza, bringing the total Israeli casualties from the Gaza ground offensive to 116.
